My Handmade Crafty Christmas

This year I do not feel Christmassy at all however, I have managed to homemake and handmake many things using crafting techniques that I didn't even know I could do.

Firstly sewing... I own a sewing machine and can just about thread it but never seem to get it to work properly so end up abandoning it and putting it back.  I can sew a button on but that's it.  Couldn't hem a pair of trousers or run up a pair of curtains!!!  I leave all that to my Mam and sooo wish I had learnt to sew when I lived at home with her.

However, I had seen Kirstie Allsop make Christmas decorations last year by hand and it popped into my head that I'd like to give it a go so I told my Mam my idea and she promptly posted me a load of felt, stuffing, ribbon, beads and bows to get me started.  THe parcel arrived and I was away...

I copied templates from the internet and created a folder in my pictures to save them and I Started to cut out templates using greaseproof paper to trace the shapes.  My first attempt was a gingerbread man.  He's not the best looking and I learnt so many things with him but I really enjoyed doing it and it inspired me to create more.  I hung each up on the wall and each time I created something I hung it up to compare to the previous and to admire. THe blue tree was made completely by Liam (age 4) he chose exactly what he wanted, it was made for his Dad and he knew it had to be plain blue, stuffed fat and with a single gold star.  He was very sure about what he wanted. The snowman was my second attempt and I was never really taken with him.  I love the hearts, this was what I intended to make and it was Kirstie's influence, I have since recreated many hearts.  The middle snowman was Holly's design (age 6).  She's very artistic and everything she makes glitters and sparkles  she loves overly decorated bright things and anything that shines.

I'd like to think they improved as I went along.  I loved making them and have made loads since I started.

What's the difference between sugarpaste and gumpaste

Sugarpaste and Rolled Fondant

Ever since natural sugars were discovered they have been used in the form of a paste, but more recently it has come to be recognised by sugar crafters as a very easy paste to work with to decorate cakes, gateaux, biscuits, muffins and cookies.

In different countries it may be referred to as Rolled Fondant, Roll out Icing or Plastic Icing, or sometimes it is known by the brand name - Regalice, Pettinice or Satin Ice.

All of these names quite simply mean a paste made basically from sugar that is blended to produce an icing that can be rolled out like pastry and used as a cake covering that is soft to cut and eat.

Because of its ease of handling it is ideal also for use with a large range of cutters, embossers and moulds.

Flower Paste and Gum Paste for Sugar Flowers and Cake Decorations

This is a traditional modelling paste made from sugar but with the addition of edible gum like Gum Tragacanth, .C.M.C.or Tylose.

There are also many named or brand names that it may be known as Gum Paste, Petal Paste or Sugar Florist Paste. This paste has been developed so that it can be rolled out finely and dry hard, making it suitable for sugar flowers, high detailed moulds and top decorations.

Sugar flowers are an extremely popular feature of many cakes especially for weddings enabling the sugar artist and cake decorator to hand craft both simple and highly detailed flowers and leaves.

Many cutters have been developed specifically for use with this paste e.g. the Tappit range thus enabling anyone to create simple fine and detailed decorations and lettering.

Mexican Paste

There are occasions when it may be an advantage to blend together both sugar paste and flower paste.

The proportions can vary, but in most instances it is described as equal quantities, 50/50 or as a Mexican paste.

This blended paste give the advantages of both pastes. The strength of the gums in the flower paste and the slower drying and softer eating of Sugarpaste.

Today’s style of cake decoration very much features fabric effects and this paste is ideal for creating sugar ribbons, textured lace and drapes.

Mam's Cake Mix

Leila's Birthday cupcakes

A gift for a friend

I was so looking forward to making these cakes and this is the thing that kicked off my renewed obsession with cupcakes.
My friends daughter was turning 13 so I decided to make her a cake then it changed to cupcakes, modern, pretty, fashionable and unique.
I had the box planned in my head before I even thought about the cakes, I was going to presetn 13 cupcakes to this 13 year old.

All vanilla sponge cakes.  Topped with variety of strawberry and buttercream swirls and I got to practice with gum paste first time ever and Tappits.

Note to self: Gum paste ALWAYS to be used with Tappits, sugar paste not dry enough, let gum paste letters dry for few days in the air not sealed box.

First EVer Bake Sale

Selection for the Kids

This was a selection of cupcakes for the bake sale (March 2012) 

I made Victoria Hearts (top right) whcih were jam filled with red sugar paste disc finish and glittery hearts and flowers to top.

Middle row, blue dyed glace icing and Asda's Coloured Beans which the kids all went for. 

(Left) Lemon drizzle cakes, lemon flavoured sponge and lemon glace icing made from icing sugar and lemon juice - no water, pure zesty flavour and drop of yellow food colour.  Filled with lemon curd.

(Bottom Row) Strawberry Whirls, Strawberry flavour pink frosting filled cupcake and topping finished with pretty sugarpaste flowers, butterflies which were made with a plunger cutter.

The lady bugs were my first seller.  cut discs of red sugarpaste and made black blobs into lady bug faces.

Very top tray left: Lilac covered cupcakes complete with lollypop

Death by Chocolate

Rolo Cups, Chocolate and Vanilla & Chocolate Fudge

This experiment was great fun.  I was having a bake sale at Liam's pre-school so had to come up with tempting treats to sell.  Top tray, chocolate sponge cupcakes with rolo filling.  Half fill case with cake mix, add a rolo and add another dollop of cake mix on top them bake.  Results? Bite into a cake with a rolo caramel centre?  Nah, bit disappointing I couldn't taste the caramel. 

Note to self: try Reese's Peanut Butter cups next time.

However thanks to Betty Crocker's fudge icing, piped well and made these cakes very appealing.  Left, chocolate fudge filled and topped cakes.  Simply fill cupcakes with BC fudge icing or insert a sharp knife to make an incision and fill centre with fudge icing on the tip of the knife then pipe top to finish.  Right photo: Chocolate and Vanilla - used BC Vanilla buttercream frosting which I do not like personally but then I hate vanilla!!!  Sold very well at 50p each!!! 

Note to self: Increase ones prices!!!

My best looking cupcakes yet

So proud of these cakes.

I never tire of looking at this picture and it was something so simple.  It was my first time using "buttercream" made with cream cheese and icing cugar so wasn't sure how it would turn out but after flavouring with lemon essence and putting in the fridge it piped really well and I discovered that if I lift the nozzle slightly allowing the buttercream to slightly fall/drape as it curls around the cake it gives a defined pipesd look.  The pink was strawberry frosting ready made in Asda for £1.79 per tube ans tastes lovely.  I now have the ingredients to make my own so watch this space.

Holly's 3rd birthday cake #1 GLINDA

Holly had her heart set on a pricess cake and I came up with this. The cake was huge!!! ALl my cakes are homemade adn the top of this was a pyrex pudding dish.  The skirt was draped the bodice cut from a large heart shape and the pearls stuck on to make bracelet and necklace.  the wand from a booty bag.  The doll was HUGE due to ths size of the cake adn she was so scary!!!

The cake itself was butter cream and jam layers.  The "sequins" on the dress cake decorations.

In-laws Anniversary Cake

I'd seen a gift parcel ribbon made out of icing on a cake and really liked the idea so after watching a how to video on You Tube I got towork.

I cut out the hearts and the names using cutters but the bow was made by me.  I copied the video in cutting strips of icing and curling them over a wooden spoon and if left long enough to dry out they would have stood up further.  Again the signature white sheet of ready roll!!!  The rope edging effect worked quite well at the time!

Liam's 1st birthday cake

The turning point in my cake decorating passion and the start of things to come.
I loved doing this cake!!!  I remember seeing a kids programme called Big Cook Little Cook and the article showed how to make a balloon cake.  I had this idea in my head.  The lady had made a blue cake.  SO I made a blue cake.  SHe had modelled balloons out of icing but for some reason I then got distracted and copied Steve's salt dough Saints football man and made one out of sugar paste and painted his shorts, shoes and stripes.  I even borrowed a real pin badge for the crest.

Again I made the plaque but this time I trimmed the edge in a sausage of red.  I vaguely remember using icing pens to write Happy Birthday Liam but don't know where I got the lettering from to trace over.  HOwever, I was bitten and had the bug... the cakes then came thick and fast.

Holly's 2nd birthday cake

Holly's 2nd birthday cake didn't get much better.  Again I cheated and bought ready rolled sheets of plain white icing, packets of novelty decorations and a number 2 candle but this time I made a plaque cut from oval piece of icing stuck on and letters I'd bought to spell out her special message!!!

Holly 1st birthday cake

When I look back at these pictures all I see are imperfections and I criticise the cake but as you can see from my face at the end, I was sooo proud of myself that I cried!
Holly's first birthday was so important to me and I wanted to do something really special so I made her first cake.  I bought ready rolled out sheets of icing, pre-made flowers, an icing pen and a number 1 candle.  I had no idea about how to start or finish but I had been to evening classes when I was 12 to learn cake decorating but I never took much notice.  As you can see from the edging I rolled a sausage shape and laid it around the edges to hope it would finish it of!!

However, nothing will take away the feeling of making that first cake but because of mt strict rules for Holly I never allowed her to eat any as I thought she didn't need to eat cake at that age!!!

Mini Cakes and Cupcakes

07.03.2012
Another cake decorating success.
Purely for time I cheated again and used Tesco Value range sponge mix because I wanted to produce a cake quickly that I could get to work on. It was crap!!!

I bought some small cake tins with removeable bottoms from The Range for £1.00 each in their new children's cooking section.  I greased them but next time will line with a muffin case. I made one mini cake into chocolate but overfilled tin which came out great and stood proud next to the other two weak attempts.

One cake became a Victoria sponge, jam and butter cream in centre and piped rosette styles around the top using of all things a plunger-tube style icing gun and star nozzle which my Mam gave me years ago. One cake was chocolate fudge cake with Betty Crocker chocolate fudge filling and then topped with piped fudge filling and the third cake (for me) Lemon Drizzle cake.  Lemon curd and lemon butter cream filling and lemon butter cream topping however...

this time I took my Auntie Chris's advice and used a cream cheese (i.e. Philedelphia style) and mixed half margarine, half cream cheese with the icing sugar and it was GORGEOUS, much lighter, much creamier and less greasy/sickly than butter cream with just butter!!!

What I learnt?  
- Value cake mix - crap
- Value soft cream cheese - AMAZING
- Line mini cake tins next time!! 

-
The cupcakes have lemon curd filling which I used the plunger-style tube icing gun and long nozzle and also did the same with the chocolate cakes for something different.

I Can Pipe!!!

06.03.2012

After years of cake decorating purely for love and fun I have bit the bullet and picked up a piping bag again - I was amazed to discover I remembered how to pipe from when I was a kid and my Mam took me to Icing Class at the local school when I was 12!!!  Albeit today was only butter cream swirls on cupcakes it was a start and I was extremely pleased and very proud of my results.

It was a rush job and I cheated and bought the cupcakes from Tesco to practice on however the end result was great!  I thought the pink was very pretty and I was very pleased with that, it was only left over Betty Crocker pre-made stuff which I had in the fridge but the chocolate was Betty Crocker fudge icing and the blue homemade and dyed from Sugarflair Ice Blue colour - not very impressed with the shade of "ice blue" its more like turquoise and I think I might have over done it a bit!

What I learnt??? Butter cream pipes very well.  I used the large star nozzle and a disposable bag.  Fudge icing was OK, definatley needs to be room temperature and doesn't pipe as well but was still pleased with the result.  Sprinkles, chocolate chips and candy hearts helped to finish off.